Health & Safety / Inspections Flashcards
What RICS document covers healthy & safety?
RICS Guidance Note Surveying Safely (2018)
What is your understanding of Health & Safety at Work 1974?
Employers have a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees.
Who polices the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974?
Health & Safety Executive
What is a hazard? What is a risk?
Hazard has potential to cause harm
Risk is the likelihood of harm occuring
What are some of the key requirements of the H&S at work act 1974?
- Must report injuries and dangerous occurrences
- Must undertake, record and review risk assessments.
- Must keep detailed H&S information on site.
When is a risk assessment required? What does it include?
- Identify hazards present
- Identify those at risk.
- Evaluate the risk / existing precautions
- Record findings
- Review regularly
- Advise all those affected of outcome of assessment / precautions
What is RIDDOR?
Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences (2013)
What are the timelines for reporting injuriues?
- Report injuries over 7 days incapacitation
- Report to HSE within 15 days
- Keep a record for a minimum of 3 years.
What is your understanding of Fire Safety?
Relevant legislation is
Fire Risk Management Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
-Review / Record / Risk Assessment
Following Hackitt Review (2018):
Fire Safety Act 2021
- Responsible person required
- Inspect lifts
- Fire safety instructions for residents
- Evacuation plans
Fire Safety Regulations 2022
Who has a duty of care under the occupiers liability acts 1957 & 1984?
- Occupiers
- Landlords
- Other entities with control
(1957)
Must take reasonable care to ensure visitor is reasonably safe for their purpose.
What is the difference between the Occupiers Liability Act (1957) & (1984)?
1957 relates to Occupiers and 1984 relates to trespassers.
What are the number of deaths / properties with asbestos in the UK?
4 million properties
5000 deaths per year
What legislation / RICS guidance relates to Asbestos?
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
RICS Professional Standard Asbestos (2021)
Who is the duty holder for asbestos?
Owner of property / tenant if repairing lease.
What are the types of asbestos and how long have they been banned?
1985
Amosite (Brown)
Crocidolite (Blue)
1999
Chrysotile (White)
What are the two types of asbestos survey?
- Management Survey (locates / assess / advises)
- Refurbishment / Demolition survey
What are the five steps a duty holder must take in regards to asbestos?
- Assess asbestos
- Assess risk & produce management plan
- Produce asbestos register
- Make register available to all relevant parties
- Review register regularly (6 months reccomended)
What punishments are related to asbestos?
Health & Safety Act 2008
- £20,000 FINE / 12 months imprisonment
More serious offences - no limit on fine
Who are the three duty holders for CDM regulations 2015?
Client
Principal Designer
Principal Contractor
What would you bring on an Inspection?
- Phone / Camera
- Copy of any files / plans
- Tape measure / trundle wheel / laser
- PPE
- Pen / Paper
What should you consider of the immediate area when undertaking an inspection?
- Location / Aspect
- Local facilities / Public transport
- Business vibrancy
- Contamination / environmental hazards
- Flooding / Substations
- Comparable evidence / local market conditions / agents boards.
- Date of buidling
What would you consider when undertaking an external inspection?
- Method of construction
- Repair & Condition
- Car Parking / Access / Loading arrangements
- Defects / Structural movement
- Site boundaries with OS map / Title Plan
What would you consider when undertaking an internal inspection?
- Layout / Specification
- Repair & Maintenance
- Defects
- Services
- Statutory compliance
- Fixtures and fittings / Improvements
- Compliance with lease obligations
What are the four types of foundation?
- Trench / Strip footing
- Raft (slab foundation)
- Piled (concrete cylinders)
- Pad (Slab foundation under columns)
How can you tell the difference between cavity wall construction and solid wall construction?
Solid Wall - built with headers
Cavity wall construction - uses stretchers. Evidence of a cavity tray, air brick or weep hole
What is a cavity wall?
Two layers of brickwork tied together with a cavity that may be filled with insulation
Whats a header? Whats a stretcher?
Stretcher - brick laid horizontally
Header - brick laid flat with short end exposed.
What is efforescence?
White marks caused by salts in the brick work.
Water dissolves the salts and is deposited onto the surface of the wall
What is Spalling?
Brickwork damaged by freeze/thaw
What is the average office specification?
- Either steel or concrete frame
- Raised floors
- Ceiling void of 350mm and raised floor of 150mm
- Air conditioning and double glazed windows
- Passenger lifts
- Maximum depth of 12-15 / 15-21m (Shallow / Deep plan)
- 1 cycle space per 10 staff
- 1 shower per 100 staff
- 8m2-10m2 workspace density
What are the different types of fit-out?
Cat A - Grade A specification
Cat B - Complete fit out to occupiers requirements
Shell and Core - ready for fit out by occupier
What is a specification for industrial?
- 30KN/sqm floor loading
- Plastic coated steel cladding with brick / blockwork walls (to 2m)
- Full height loading doors
- 3-phase electricity
- Main services capped off
- Site cover of 40%
What are the three common causes of defect?
- Movement (Subsidence / heave)
- Water
- Defecting / non-performing / deterioration of building materials
What is subsidence?
Vertical downward movement of foundation
What is heave?
Expansion of ground beneath part of building
What are the different types of damp? What do they look like?
- Wet Rot (damp / timber decay) - signs include wet & soft timber / musty smell / visible fungus growth
- Dry Rot - fine / fluffy white strands and large fruiting bodies (orange). Red spores / strong smell.
- Rising damp - normally stops at 1.5m
- Condensation - Mould / streaming water on windows.
What are some common building defects for industrial properties?
- Roof leaks around roof lights
- Damaged cladding
- Blocked valley gutters
- Water damage
- Settlement / cracking on brickwork.
What RICS guidance refers to contamination?
RICS Guidance Note: Contamination, the environment and sustainability (2010)
What should you consider when valuing a site with contamination?
- Do not provide any advice until a specialist report is commissioned.
- Caveat the advice provided with a disclaimer highlight the issue / use of a special assumption.
- Deduct remediation costs from gross site value.
What is an example of a deleterious material?
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
What is Japanese knotweed?
Invasive plant which can damage hard surfaces.
Why is Japanese knotweed an issue?
- Can damage foundations
- Not easy to control
- Costly to eradicate
- Lenders may refuse loan if present
What does japanese knotweed look like?
In spring:
1. Looks like purple asparagus
In summer:
1. Purple / green hollow stemmed with green leaves.
2. Creamy White flower
What RICS document refers to Japanese Knotweed?
RICS Professional Standard - Japanese Knotweed and residential property (2022)
Under what act is Japanese Knotweed covered? What are the fines?
Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
Allowing it to spread is a criminal offence:
Magistrates Court: £5000 / 6 months prison
Crown Court: Unlimited fine / two years prison
Local Authority - £2,500 Fine (£20,000 for organisation)
What case law relates to Japanese Knotweed?
Williams v Network Rail Infrastructure LTD (2018)
NR liable for:
1. Treating plant
2. Damages for loss of use / enjoyment of property
Not liable for:
1. Reduced value of property
Have you undertaken any CPD in relation to Japanese Knotweed?
Reviewed the RICS webinar on Japanese knotweed which covered the RICS Professional Standard - Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property (2022)
Highlighted 4 categories:
1. CAT A - Action
2. CAT B - Action
3. CAT C - Manage
4. CAT D - Report
Also highlighted that RICS has a decision tree based on risk level to help valuers determine appropriate management approach.
